Origins (8 page)

Chapter Five

Zareb’s mate was magnificent. Joy’s smooth shift shouldn’t be possible this soon, but she commanded her body and took charge of the situation. Joy was nothing if not confident. Not to be left behind, Zareb shifted as well. They needed to get Kir before he reached the others.

The Vessel would not fall into the hands of evil again. If Joy was right, and he believed she was, then that shaman could cause serious damage to all the good they had worked through. Dmitri was back in the Vessel where he belonged and Zareb would die before Dji was possessed again. There was no way he would put his old friend in jeopardy again. He’d take Dmitri in before letting Dji go through the hell of being trapped inside himself. Without him or Joy to strengthen the ward that surrounded the Vessel, anything was possible.

A scream echoed around the jungle. The prey had been caught. When Zareb got to the source of the racket, Joy had Kir pinned to the ground. A white swirl of magic covered the two of them—Joy must not be letting him shift.

Zareb returned to his human form to look for the satchel with the Vessel. He found it on the ground where Kir must have dropped it when he was attacked. The lid was off, and the ward broken. Zareb rushed over and locked down the top to prevent anything souls from coming out. Who knew what had already been released. He turned to see Kir had moved out from under Joy and Joy was shifting back and forth from human to panther.

“What did you do?”
Zareb shouted.

His anger took over. He wrapped Kir up so tight in magic the other man couldn’t even twitch. Kir was lucky Zareb didn’t kill him on the spot, the only reason the man wasn’t dead already was because of their past together and the hope Zareb could bring him away from the path he was going down.

He left Kir trapped in magic, unable to move and Zareb hovered over Joy to try and figure out what had happened. Joy flailed around, he grabbed for her hand and squeezed it tight to let her know he was with her. He gasped.

Dmitri or
something
had escaped the Vessel and was trying to take over Joy. She was putting up a fight, greater than the one Dji had. Zareb opened every pore of his being, funnelling his power into her, whilst with his other hand he clutched the Vessel to him. He would open the lid, but not until it was time—no other souls would be getting out.

“Ek is lief vir jou, my siel. Fight. My liefie. Please. Ek is lief vir jou. Ek is lief vir jou.”

Over and over again he told his mate, his soul, that he loved her. This would not be the end of them.

“Open—”

Joy’s voice penetrated his concentration. He understood. Not letting go of her hand, he prised open the lid, and the rush from the soul shook the Vessel. Once it was back inside, Zareb released Joy and closed the lid. This time he sealed it more thoroughly with magic, his fear and anger closing it tight. It was past time the thing went back in the ground and Zareb wasn’t taking any more chances.

Zareb rose from Joy’s side and stalked towards Kir.

“Why?” he seethed.

It took a moment for Zareb to realise he’d bound Kir so tight the man couldn’t speak.

Kir crumbled to the ground, clutching his throat.

“You left us, Zareb, and I was alone. A few years ago Dmitri came back in Djimon’s form. He put me back together and cared for me. Where were you? Did you even look back to us as you travelled to where ever you went after you left here to see what your destruction wrought? No. Dmitri told me how you lived it up, leaving us to rot
—
t
hat you would never come back here.”

“He lied.”

“Who is to say you are not the liar? I am to believe a man I have not seen in over a lifetime? You have a new family and I have nothing. Nothing! And you expect me to welcome you back with open arms?” Kir spat on the ground next to Zareb’s feet.

“Believe what you will. I followed the Ancients and did their bidding. Can you not feel the evil from the Vessel?”

“Leave me or kill me, I will not help you.”

He backed away from Kir.

“Zareb—”

“Yes, my liefie?”

“Let me.” Zareb offered his support as Joy struggled to come closer.

She nodded her thanks and looked at Kir.

“I will not listen to the mate of a traitor, so you’d best leave me be or kill me. Dmitri told me how it was you, Zareb, who urged him to go to that spot and bring that abomination back to the tribe. You are at fault here.” Kir crossed his arms over his chest.

“You
will
listen to me, you fucking bastard. Is kidnapping innocent people a good thing? You fucker, we could have been killed at any time and what did we do? Wasted precious time making sure your lousy ass was healed. So fuck you, we have places to go and things to do. So you keep your sucky ass here while we go save the goddamn world.”

Joy turned her back on them and walked in the general direction of the village he grew up in. She didn’t see Kir’s shoulders slump; the resignation on his face.

“She speaks the truth, my mate or not, and you know it.”

“You are lucky,” Kir whispered.

“Yes I am, and you could be too. Come with us. Help us end this and you can come to the Masters pack with me.”

Kir looked up at Zareb. “Are you serious?”

“I may have left, but I have never lied to you, you are my brother, my broer.”

“They are expecting us. When I do not show up with you they will come looking.”

“Then we’d better hurry.”

Four hours and two short breaks later they approached Zareb’s old stomping ground. It was as if time had stood still, the only difference being that the overgrown vegetation had taken over—but this was home. He could feel the power of the Ancients strongly here.

“Can you feel it?” Joy asked in awe.

“Yes, this is the very origin of our power, where everything began to unravel. Just a little more and we will be at the site where Djimon and I found the Vessel.”

“Will the two of us be enough to bury the power and make sure no one disturbs it?” Joy looked concerned. He was worried as well, but would not show it.

“We will bless the ground and make it so no one can ever hear the singing of evil and be tempted.” He would stand by his word even if he was so nervous that he could not pull it off.

“Never? There is temptation in everything.” Joy smiled at him.

“I have faith.”

Zareb looked at where Kir stood back. He didn’t fully trust the man, but they had things to do and someone had to watch out for the others.

“Kir, you will stand watch.”

“Zareb, are you sure?” Joy raised a brow in question.

“I will trust that Kir will do what is right. Have faith.”

“I do, in you. Le’s do this. We have family to save.”

“Family? Even Djimon’s mate, Ive?”

“Of course. That’s what a pack is, a big family, even if you don’t like them all.”

“Ive is not that bad, my liefie.”

Joy just laughed.

Kir stayed behind, not saying a word. It was for the best. Zareb’s steps slowed—so many of his memories started from here. It was all gone—the only remaining members were Dji, Kir and himself. He would never see his mother or father again. His family was one he had created on his own. He remembered the first time he had met Russell Masters, he’d been so young and just coming into his stride as the alpha. Again—something, maybe the Ancients with a lesson, forced the memory to the front of his mind, almost as if he was reliving it.

* * * *

“Why are you trespassing on my land?”

Zareb looked at the proud man before him. Good radiated from his very core. Zareb would be happy to serve an alpha as pure as Russell Masters. The Ancients were right, he would lead with truth and peace. When the time came, Russell would step forward and together they could save the world. But that time wasn’t now.

“I am Zareb. I was sent here to train your people and help in any way I can.”

“Who sent you?” Russell sounded hesitant.

Good, the man was cautious. He would become a very strong leader.

“The Ancients. They should have told you I was coming.”

“The dream. You’re—the panther?”

“Yes.”

“How will this work exactly? I am the alpha here.”

“This I know. I will not stand in your way and will follow your orders. I need a place to stay and I have some knowledge that will be helpful in the future.”

“Okay. I had a cabin on the back of the property cleared out for you in case it was more than a dream. The vision said you like your solitude, but you will be joining us for pack dinners and meetings. The others will need to meet you.”

Zareb bowed. “Yes. I will be there.”

“Good. As long as we understand each other, things will be fine. I’ll have my beta, Max, show you the way.”

Zareb bowed again. “Thank you, alpha.”

* * * *

Finally a happy memory during a time when he needed it most—here in the spot where evil had taken him on a different path than he’d expected. He hated remembering the death and destruction. Russ was a good man and he would continue to guard the place he considered home.

“Is this it?” Joy had stopped in a patch of land that was barren. A large red dirt circle encompassed the area.

“I wonder what happened here. Before we had to dig, and it was never in a pattern.” Zareb wondered out loud.

“It looks ritualistic. Maybe Dmitri came back and tried something here. He did have the Vessel at that time.”

“This may be another trap.”

“I don’t think so. Dmitri wasn’t with me for long enough when he tried to take me over. I could feel his desperation. He wanted a body, any body would do—he is afraid of this spot,” Joy reassured him.

“Then let us begin. Go to the centre of the circle.”

Zareb watched Joy walk. He could look at her all day. She knelt in the middle of the pattern with her hands on the dirt and she began chanting. She had a great mastery over the elements. Her power matched his, and he hadn’t thought that would ever be possible.

A big hole appeared under Joy’s fingers. Zareb moved close to see a perfect shape to drop the Vessel into. Zareb handed the vase over to Joy and placed his palm on the inside of the hole. With a few words he blessed the ground in the name of his ancestors and the Ancients.

“Put the Vessel over the enclosure,” he instructed.

Zareb joined their hands and wrapped them around the evil object.

“We need to strengthen the seal.”

They both chanted, their words entwining and matching in power. The ground began to shake, thunder cracked in the clear sky and the world vibrated with the magnitude of magic. Everything snapped into a bright focus, there was only him, Joy and the Vessel. White, pure light surrounded the circle.

“You have done well, my children. It is time to replace the ultimate evil where it belongs, under ground.”